The Old Pontlottyn Store

The Old Pontlottyn Store Abertillery.
The Pontlottyn Store, Abertillery was originally set up by Mr David Morgan in the mid 1870’s.

Mr David Morgan.
Mr David Morgan was born in 1833 at Caecrwn, Battle, Breconshire.

In the 1850’s, at the age of 23, Mr David Morgan opened his first drapery shops at Rhymney and at Pontlottyn, Rhymney in Glamorganshire.

The Abertillery Store.
In the 1870’s Mr David Morgan opened a store at Somerset Street, Abertillery. I am unsure what the store was known as, more than probably Messrs Morgan.

Messrs Morgan & Co.
In October 1879 Mr David Morgan opened a store in the Hayes, Cardiff, as Messrs Morgan & Co.

Messrs Morgan & Owen.
In 1883 Mr David Morgan entered into a business partnership with Mr John Owen.

Mr John Owen.
Mr John Owen was born in the 1860’s, a native of Pontlottyn, Rhymney, Glamorganshire, he came to Abertillery as a young boy. He later did an apprenticeship with Mr David Morgan and trained at the Cardiff store, he was later entrusted to be part of his business at Abertillery and they traded in Abertillery as Messrs Morgan & Owen.

The Pontlottyn.
The building on Somerset Street, Abertillery occupied by Messrs Morgan & Owen was later called the Pontlottyn, more than probably named after the place of Mr John Owens’ birth and the place where Mr David Morgan had his first store. 

Mr William Lewis.
In 1885,  Mr William Lewis was the head tailor in the Pontlottyn Store, Abertillery. Mr Lewis was born at Brechfa, Carmarthenshire in 1852. He trained for his trade in England and came to Abertillery in 1885. He later left the Pontlottyn Store to open his own business at Market Street and later moved to Church Street, Abertillery.

Mr John Owen.
In 1890 Mr John Owen acquired the Pontlottyn Store entirely and carried on the flourishing trade in the town.  In January 1893 he fell ill and the business at the Pontlottyn Store began to suffer.

The Death of Mr John Owen.
In May 1893 Mr John Owen sadly passed away at the age of just 33 years of age,

Messrs Morgan and Francis.
In 1893 the Pontlottyn Store at Abertillery was taken over by Mr John Llewellyn Morgan (son of Mr David Morgan the original store owner) and Mr Benjamin Francis. They ran the Abertillery store as Messrs Morgan & Francis.

Mr Benjamin Francis.
Mr Benjamin Francis born in 1867 at Clydey, Pembrokeshire. Mr Francis left school and went into teaching, he later left that profession and went into business as an apprentice of Mr Elias Thomas a draper of Newcastle Emlyn. After leaving Mr Thomas, Mr Francis entered into the employ of Mr Morgan & Co the drapers of the Hayes, Cardiff. It was here that he met Mr John Llewellyn Morgan, the son of the owner Mr David Morgan and their partnership at the store began.  

In 1897 as the town grew, the proprietors of the Pontlottyn Store – Messrs Morgan & Francis decided to have their old premises demolished and to have a much larger store built with extensions each side to keep up with the demand for their goods. 

The New Pontlottyn Building.
In 1897 work started on the new building.
Following is a Link to – The New Pontlottyn.